This invention relates to cable supports for communications cables rated for high data transmission rates and specifically to an improved cable support that simplifies ganging together multiple supports for supporting several bundles of cable.
It is common to use high performance electrical telecommunication transmission cable to connect computers, servers, printers, faxes, and other electronic equipment. Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable has been developed to meet the high data transmission speeds needed in modern Local Area Networks (LAN). Many LANs today use Category 5 cable, the performance requirements of which are defined by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) standard TSB-36 for UTP cable.
As data transmission rates increase, to connect various pieces of electronic equipment, it frequently is necessary to route high speed data transmission cable throughout new or existing buildings. Great care is necessary when running UTP cable, as any kinking, sharp bends, or damage to the cable can cause undesirable side effects, such as creation of cross-talk or static between the various conductors.
In new buildings, cable trays are frequently installed. These make it easy to route cable throughout the building as the bend radius of the cables will conform to the bend radius of the trays, and can therefore be controlled. However, routing cable throughout an existing building presents many problems. Frequently, the cable must be routed through an area above a ceiling, such as a building having a drop ceiling. Cable trays are typically not available, and therefore hooks, rings, or similar devices must be used to create a suitable path for laying cable.
Several J-shaped hooks have been proposed for the support of communications cables. Although the prior art J-hooks provide a secure anchor for communications cables, they do not provide a balanced support and evenly distribute the weight of a suspended bundle of cables on the top stem. With a bundle of cables supported from the J-hook, a large bending moment or force is exerted on the stem. Therefore, a bundle of cables suspended in a J-hook may eventually cause the hook material to fatigue and break near the anchoring point, especially when anchored to structures that are susceptible to vibrations, such as air plenums and the like. The prior art J-hooks are also less than optimal when used to support several separate bundles of cables from the same anchoring point. The prior art J-hooks cannot be ganged directly to each other for holding multiple bundles of cables, but rather require the use of a specially designed bracket.
Therefore prior art J-hooks and similar devices have not proved entirely adequate for evenly distributing the suspended weight and for supporting multiple bundles of communications cables. What is needed is a cable support that, when secured to a structure, provides a balanced platform in which no particular part is unduly stressed by a high bending moment. Additionally, what is desired is a cable support that can be ganged to additional cable supports without the need for special brackets.
Therefore, what is needed is a balanced cable support capable of being ganged directly to additional supports for the support of large bundles of communications cables.
Accordingly, the cable support of the present invention exhibits several advantages over prior art cable supports for communications cables. The cable support is of a design that insures a suspended weight will be balanced evenly below the anchoring point. As a result of balancing the suspended weight below the top portion, no excessive bending moment is created to cause fatigue at the anchoring point.
Additionally, the present invention provides a cable support that may easily be ganged directly to additional like cable supports without use of a separate bracket or other piece. This simplifies the task of ganging cable supports and thereby eliminates the need to stock additional parts such as brackets.
When ganged together, the present invention also has the advantage of presenting a balanced column of cable supports. The cable supports link to each other in a manner in which the weight is distributed evenly from the bottommost support to the topmost support. This has the advantage of causing less undue stress to individual portions of the combined tree of supports.
These and other advantages will become obvious by reading the attached detailed description of the present invention along with reference to the drawings and the appended claims.
The invention is a one-piece cable support having an integral box-shaped mounting assembly. The box-shaped mounting assembly extends over a cable tray portion of the cable support and includes several optional mounting apertures. Once secured to a building structure through the box-shaped assembly, the weight of a suspended bundle of cables is distributed evenly below the box-shaped assembly, thereby permitting the load to be balanced evenly below the assembly and reducing the bending moment and therefore the stress on the wall portion connecting the cable tray and mounting assembly portions of the support. An integral bracket assembly is provided on the bottom of the cable support to allow easy ganging of multiple cable supports without the need for specialized brackets.